Archbishop Wickmar, the Resolute, the Unyielding, the Heartless, and so on. He himself did not really care, and had just woken up from the aftermath of the war.
He had almost forgotten the beginning, the process, and the end of the war. He only remembered that after the Army of Chaos was defeated and retreated, he checked the seal and repaired it.
However, the price was still huge. The Great Priest carefully reached out and touched his face. His skin and flesh were burned by the weapons of Chaos. Just the touch of his fingertips made the Great Priest cry out in pain. The hot and scorching electric current stimulated his nerves and radiated throughout his body. The countless wounds from the long battle seemed to be burning. Vickmar cursed Charlemagne and tried to get up.
As if they had heard his cries of pain, someone quickly came in from outside. It was Cardinal Wimmer Von Gregorich. His originally gorgeous white robe with golden edges was now full of stains and bloodstains. The armor under the robe was also tattered. The cardinal limped with one leg. "His Holiness the High Priest?"
"Where are we?" Vickmar still looked at his subordinate with a stern and cold expression, even if this expression made his wounds hurt more.
"We are now fifteen kilometers away from Tara Beheim." The cardinal sounded tired. Vickmar said, "We have received the manor's owner here. He is very willing to take us in … In one night, we tried to gather as many soldiers and monks as possible. The number … is not too many."
"Why are you in charge? Where is Pusilock? "Vickmar asked coldly.
"His Excellency Cardinal Pusilock died in battle."
"What about Pretel and Kong Ce? And where is Marco Guedek? " The Great Priest's mind was in a mess. He regretted it almost as soon as he spoke. He should have known that General Pretel and Cardinal Kong Ce had died in battle without permission.
However, the Great Priest did not correct his mistake, because he would never make mistakes. As usual, he stared at his subordinate with cold and stern eyes, waiting for an answer.
"They're all dead. General Pretel and Bishop Kong Ce died in the attack. Bishop Marco Guedek was hit by a spell and a flying axe when he was fighting back. We didn't find his body, but a few soldiers swear they saw it with their own eyes," Vimer said in a serious and sorrowful voice.
A cardinal had died in battle. Six out of the twelve cardinals had died. Vickmar was not interested in the rest.
"Where is Alfred Frey?" Vickmar finally asked the question he was concerned about. "Alfred Frey de Damian Wien?"
The atmosphere in the room froze. Vickmar gaped, and under the Great Priest's cold gaze, he couldn't help but gulp. "Well, Your Holiness, didn't you see it with your own eyes?"
Vickmar's mind was in a mess. He vaguely recalled the scene he had seen with his own eyes when the battle was about to end. On the nightmarish battlefield, with the death of the Chaos warlord, the Army of Chaos was being routed. At that moment, Alfred Frey was entangled with a Chaos Egg. At the most critical moment, he took out his musket and interrupted the Chaos Egg's attempt to swallow him. However, a Chaos Warrior behind him cleaved down with two axes, sending the Patriarch flying into the river.
"We searched along the river, but we didn't find his corpse. If Your Holiness thinks he's still alive, we can …" Vickmar attempted.
"Enough!" The Great Priest's furious roar shook the roof beams, causing a large pile of dust to fall. "If this is Alfred Frey's fate, let him embrace the fate of dying in battle! This is a necessary sacrifice. Humans have been like this for the past three millennia! Dying in battle is an honor! We won't send anyone for this! I've suffered enough losses! "
"… Yes." Vickmar saw stars from the roar. The Cardinal whispered, "Your Holiness, everyone is waiting for your next order and is concerned about your safety. Also … we've found a doctor. He has prepared ointment for you."
"There's no need!" The Great Priest slapped the Cardinal's hand away. His fury came faster than lightning. "Faith is the best weapon against injuries. Oh, Charlemagne! I know my injuries very well! "
Walking out of the manor, the army of the Church of Justice was stationed here. The sky was as black as ink, and a bone-piercing cold wind blew from the north. Even though the snow had already melted, the ground was still as hard as steel. Not far from the manor, the deep forest seemed to be opening its bloody mouth towards the remnants of the army. Outside the manor, there were rows of linen cloths neatly arranged in rows. Inside the manor, people were moving about. Almost everyone had wounds of different sizes. Many people had lost their arms and legs, and even more people were leaning on crutches or being supported by others. There were also quite a few people lying on stretchers or on the ground. After a short examination, they were covered with linen cloths and carried out of the manor.
The Church of Justice's army had about a thousand people left. This included about five hundred soldiers, four hundred lightly injured, and two hundred heavily injured.
This was all that was left.
But it didn't matter. The soldiers had died in battle, and the monks had obtained the ending they wanted. However, there were still people in the Empire. The successors of the Cardinals and Knights who died in battle would be chosen, and the lost army would be rebuilt. The war against Chaos would never end. At least for today, they were the victors.
"Clean the military flag and raise your heads!" The Grand Priest's voice was strict and emotionless, echoing throughout the entire camp. "Don't be dejected. We are the victors of this war!"
"We will return to Charlemagne's city as the victors!"
"Yes!" Within the camp, an orderly roar rang out once more.
However, just as the Grand Priest was lecturing the army, the doctor who had been waiting to be summoned to apply ointment for Archbishop Wickmar slipped out from the back of the manor in disappointment.
You are the victors?
Ha!
I am the only victor of this war!
Man Frey von Karstein couldn't help but smile.
Of course, this huge army of Chaos was led here by Man Frey von Karstein from the Chaos Wastelands in the north.
Through this army of Chaos, Man Frey von Karstein had figured out the Grand Priest's way of commanding troops. Archbishop Wickmar's habit of commanding troops was to be ruthless, hard, fast, fierce, and accurate. He had a clear goal and was full of vigor. He was determined to fight to the death. On the other hand, the Grand Priest didn't care about casualties or the feelings of the army. He only cared about whether he could achieve his goal.
This was the Grand Priest's strength, but at the same time, it was also his weakness. Man Frey von Karstein had figured out that Wickmar's commanding was fierce, but his control was lacking. Although he was outstanding in strategy, the Grand Priest often couldn't control the fanatical monks when it came to the execution of specific tactics. Hence, he often focused on attacking from all sides and didn't like to leave himself a reserve army.
After figuring out the Grand Priest's commanding style, Man Frey von Karstein knew that it wouldn't be difficult to capture him. The last vampire count couldn't help but reveal a happy expression. However, when he thought of his agreement with Akerham, Man Frey von Karstein couldn't help but feel angry and curse.
In Man Frey von Karstein's eyes, Akerham was trash, an idiot, and a retard. He had such great strength, but in the end, he only knew how to be a dog for Nagash!
Although he was also an undead, Man Frey von Karstein believed that he was different from the rest of the undead. He was different from the Lich King Akerham who only knew how to be a dog for Nagash. He was different from the Blood Dragon Ancestor Abo Wallace who only knew how to pursue martial arts. He was different from the Blood Ancestor Lamia Nefrata who only knew how to pursue pleasure and luxury. He was different from the Blood Ancestor Straga who had already lost his humanity and turned into a beast. He was different from the Blood Ancestor Nikrati who only knew how to study the mysteries of magic.
He, Man Frey von Karstein, was different. There might be differences in the abilities of the undead, but as long as he had the spirit to rule the world, he was a noble traitor, a pure traitor, a traitor with morals, a traitor who was free from vulgar interests, a traitor who was beneficial to the entire Von Karstein family.
Ancestor, grandfather, lineage, father!
Blood Ancestor Vlad von Karstein!
Rest in peace. I, Man Frey von Karstein, will make up for your regret of failing at the last step of the siege of the Empire's capital during the Vampiric War. I, Man Frey von Karstein, will inherit Sylvania and become the sole master of this place. I, Man Frey von Karstein, will be crowned as the Eternal Emperor in the Brunswick Empire's palace!
Man Frey von Karstein gradually shed his disguise. The vampire count was already thinking of his next plan. He knew that his alliance with Akerham was fragile and dangerous, but in this terrible situation, he could only temporarily ally with Akerham and see if he could gain the most benefits during the resurrection of the Lord of the Undead.
In fact, Man Frey von Karstein knew that the current situation was not particularly good for the undead. If the Empire still had enough room to operate and enough troops, then the Brittany was almost impenetrable. After many failures, the Knight King's Kingdom was now an iron plate, so it was impossible to capture Morgiana, the witch of the Lake Goddess.
Unlike the High Priest, the Knight King Laing -Macado's command could be said to be a true master of strategy and tactics. In many battles, Man Frey von Karstein had also found out the characteristics of Laing's command. His judgment was accurate, bold, but more than that, he was endlessly whimsical. After deciding on a battle plan and formulating a tactical policy, he was not inflexible and had strong adaptability. He was especially flexible when it came to the deployment of reserves and the concentration of superior forces. When it was necessary to fight for his life, Laing would personally go into battle, brave, sharp, and tenacious.
Laing's weakness was that he was prone to thinking about gains and losses when commanding. He always hoped to fight a relatively perfect battle. Sometimes, in the face of huge casualties, he might lack the determination to fight to the death. Sometimes, he would think too much, and there would often be some flaws in the end of the battle, allowing the enemy commander to find an opportunity to escape.
Now that the Brittany was full of martial virtue, and Morgiana, the witch of the Lake Goddess, spent all day with Laing. Even if Man Frey von Karstein and Akerhan had formed an alliance, they really did not want to face Laing head on.
Then there was the problem. Without Morgiana as the material for Nagash's resurrection, Akerhan had captured the archbishop of the Church of the Goddess of War to replace him. But what about the Staff of Nagash that was trapped in La Mesenelle Abbey? That was an indispensable material, an indispensable part of the full set of divine equipment for the resurrection of the Lord of the Undead, Nagash.
At the thought of this, Man Frey von Karstein's head hurt.
Let's focus on the most important sacrificial offering first!
… I am the dividing line of martial virtue …
Just as the army of the Church of Justice slowly retreated to Tara Beheim, and the remaining 500 soldiers and 200 to 300 lightly wounded soldiers who could still walk returned as the victors, the Kingdom of the Knight King was also paying close attention to the aftermath of this battle. Since they did not see Alfred Frey's corpse, they temporarily decided that the Patriarch and his childhood playmate were 'missing'.
Laing could only ask the Empire to send people to investigate the situation. The Knight King did not have any excuse to intervene in this battle. Other than urging the Empire to find Alfred Frey, there was nothing else he could do. On the other hand, Laing had to calm Ingrid down. Ever since this barbarian learned that her husband had gone missing in the Battle of Tarfjord, she had been hugging her son and causing trouble in front of Laing's palace. She would often sit at the gate and not leave, crying and cursing. She was completely unreasonable.
This made things very difficult. Laing could not really chase her away or lock her up, so he could only persuade her to go back and wait for news.
Laing had been very irritated during this period. Suria was very understanding of her husband's behavior, so she simply let Sylvia and Teresa carry Laing's two daughters to accompany him. Cecilia and Hill were now two or three years old, so they naturally inherited their mother's beauty and genes. With his daughters by his side, Laing's irritated mood improved a lot.
One day in March, Laing leaned back in his chair after finishing his work, letting the sun shine on his body. The Knight King closed his eyes and took a sip of hot coffee.
"Ah, I also want to have a villa by the Black Sea!" The Knight King leaned back in his chair and said to Sulia who was sitting next to him in boredom, "Then we'll have a warm swimming pool and a picnic manor. We'll treat everyone to a meal and drink vodka and smoke cigars. How happy would that be!"
"Black Sea Villa?" Suria's face was full of question marks. Is there a place called the Black Sea in Brittany? And don't we already have a winery as a vacation place?
The female knight quickly realized that her husband was talking nonsense again. She smiled and said, "Is it about Ingrid?"
"Well, yes." Laing smiled bitterly, "I don't know what to do with her."
"It will be better. Didn't Talleyrand go to find out more information?" The female knight did not know what to do either. Whether Alfred Frey was alive or dead was the key.
As soon as she finished speaking, Talleyrand's voice came from the office door, "Your Majesty, important news! Alfred Frey is still alive! "
"What?!" Laing jumped up from his chair, "Tell me the details, Talleyrand!"
The elite lame man limped in, holding an open letter in his hand. "Your Majesty, Patriarch Alfred is still alive. He was seriously injured in the Battle of Martyrdom at Tarfjord and was washed downstream by the river. My Lord, he didn't die, and he even caught up with the Church of Justice's troops in Tara Beheim!"
"His Holiness Vicmar greatly affirmed Alfred Frey's fighting spirit and determination. He announced that Alfred Frey will be promoted to a Cardinal!"
"A Cardinal?!"
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